As any significant honors show approaches, there’s always a demand for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
